Federal Mail Fraud

Federal Mail Fraud

Mail fraud is a serious federal offense that can result in severe fines and prison time of up to 5 years per count (and in some cases, up to 30 years in prison). If you’ve been accused of mail fraud crimes, the Law Firm of Shein & Brandenburg understands the intricacies of the law pertaining to your case and can develop an effective defense strategy to protect your rights and your interests.

What Is Mail Fraud?

As the name suggests, mail fraud is defined as any fraudulent scheme that involves the use of the U.S. Mail (or other interstate delivery services such as UPS and FedEx) to carry out the scheme. Similarly to wire fraud, which attempts to defraud through electronic communication, no financial transaction needs to be completed in order to accuse you of mail fraud. All the federal government needs to charge you with this crime is reasonable suspicion and evidence that you: a) intended to defraud; b) embarked on a scheme to defraud; and c) utilized the U.S Mail or other mail/parcel carriers in an attempt to commit fraud.

Defending Against Mail Fraud Charges

To convict you of mail fraud, the government must essentially prove two things beyond a reasonable doubt:

It must prove intention on your part—that you had a predetermination to commit fraud. (Mail fraud can’t be committed by accident.)

It must prove that there was a specific plan todefraud someone out of property, not just to deceive. Deceptions or misleading claims on their own generally aren’t enough to constitute mail fraud; there must be a goal of convincing the victim(s) to give you money or property he/she/they wouldn’t have parted with otherwise.

Our criminal defense attorneys can build an effective defense through such strategies as showing good faith on your part (for example, if you were acting on an attorney’s advice, or attempted to satisfy customer complaints), or by proving that you had nothing to gain financially by your actions. We will listen to your side of the story, conduct our own thorough investigation, look at the evidence against you, advise you as to your options, attempt a pre-trial resolution, and if necessary, defend your interests aggressively in the courts.

ATTENTION: COVID-19 Update: We are still taking cases – please call for a phone consultation! 404.633.3797 We ONLY represent individuals accused in state and federal crimes. We do NOT represent victims of related crimes.